Life in Gospel-Space: A Testimony

A minister and writer in Quaker history and theology looks back at the Christian faith that has sustained his ministry among Friends for over forty years. Gwyn writes of "gospel-space" as that realm where he finds his story in the gospel story and the gospel story in his own. This is not a linear memoir but a series of reflections on different aspects of his journey in faith. Each chapter includes the lyric from one of his songs from over the years, highlighting the ironic and often humorous experience of God's grace. The arc of the chapters covers not only personal experience but a reading of the past half-century of American history, detecting resonances with the social history around the ancient gospel narratives.

An "Itinerary" at the end summarizes the various geographical and theological terrains of "gospel-space" this seeker-found has traversed. A related essay is included in this volume: "Tomb with a View: The History of the World as Told to Me by Mary Magdalene." It is a "chiastic" overview of history, with its turning-point at the empty tomb of Jesus. God's covenantal purposes interact with social history in surprising ways. A "Background" piece at the end explains how this project began in 1988 and eventually found its present form. Life in Gospel-Space also introduces the concept of the common(s), which Gwyn explores further in subsequent books, Into the Common (2022) and Further into the Common (2023).